New guy - Steiner S-20 problems climbing hills - only in forward...

[SteinerGuy]

My advice is to never open the system unless necessary ,swapping the lines will allow contamination into the system,and yes you have areas motor problem,and you are correct the fluid simply blows past the swash plate and plungers instead of spinning the motor on steep hills. I usually use a nice peice of glass I got from an old home audio cabinet,and start with 320 and work my way to 1000 grit ,it can take 15-20 minutes of time easily if it's really bad. Luckily the rear motor is the easiest to get to and the previous owner probably didn't filter the closed loop system after replacing the lines. I know it's time consuming and costs a few bucks to put together a high pressure one way filter,but this is something you want to have on hand before you open the system again,if you do the work on the rear motor and reassemble odds are about 1 in 5 for success past 1 hour of operation...and next time you will have to remove both motors and the main pump and do them all,and buy a filter anyway. Right now your pump and front motor seem to be ok,so get a filter put together and fix it right once.

Good advice, I will find a filter (ebay?) and rig something up. It is usable as is (reversing up hills) so I might wait until later this season to tear into it anyways.

You would just put the filter between the line and the rear motor, and run it with no load for a while, or would you leave it on and actually use the machine with the filter attached?

 

[SteinerGuy]

I found this thread with good info on filter:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/ventrac/321071-steiner-425-hydraulic-issues.html

Looks like a 3000 PSI filter with 10 micron rating, and a check valve so that the flow does not reverse and flush all the crap out of the filter.

I think that would be a good tool to have if you own an older Steiner...

 

[Raw Dodge]

I got mine on eBay. I think I have about 250 into mine,don't remember the exact number.

 

[SteinerGuy]

I got mine on eBay. I think I have about 250 into mine,don't remember the exact number.

I found a suitable one on Ebay - Made by Schroeder, model NF30 - they are rated for 3000 PSI and flow about 20 GPM. I have one coming with a new 10 micron filter...

Check valve should be easy to find too...

Are the motor hose connections 1/2 NPT? I can't remember, I don't think they are 3/4.

 

[SteinerGuy]

Update - I got my filter setup from Ebay, looks like it will work out well. I'll get some pictures once I rig it up.

The unit seems to be working better and better, almost like the scoring in the valve plate is working itself out. It has a lot more power going up hills now but it's still not perfect.

If I am going to tear into the rear motor to resurface the plate, what gaskets to I need? I see one gasket between both halves of the motor. I guess I should change the bearings while I am in there too? Anything else I need to order?

 

[Industrial Toys]

Another guy that appreciates articulation and equal sized tires!

Now, a REALLY STUPID question. Does the S-20 have two speeds? My 430 won't tackle my steep hills in high while mowing.

 

[SteinerGuy]

Another guy that appreciates articulation and equal sized tires!

Now, a REALLY STUPID question. Does the S-20 have two speeds? My 430 won't tackle my steep hills in high while mowing.

Same lo-hi setup as a 430 I believe... It's in low currently, high range is not really usable on any kind of incline.

 

[SteinerGuy]

Hi all, just to report back - I went through the rear hydraulic motor and it was badly worn. I think the previous owner changed the hoses and a bunch of dirt went right into the motor because I found grass clippings in the motor! I cleaned it all up, and lapped in the valve plate, starting with 220 grit all the way up to 1500. I got it 99% back to perfect, and reassembled with a new gasket. Everything inside was still looking like new. Then I installed the 1 micron 3000 PSI inline filter I rigged up out of Ebay surplus and let it run in neutral for a while. I then removed the filter. I used it for the first time this weekend and it will climb anything I point it at. I might do the front motor later on, but it seems healthy. Thanks of the advice, this turned out to be a very easy and simple job, the filter was not expensive on Ebay, and I now know I can tackle anything on this machine.